"....But several team sources said Macha has grown weary of Beane's involvement, much as former manager Art Howe seemed to do near the end of his reign."

"Asked point blank Sunday if he wants to manage the A's next season, Macha did not offer a yes or a no."

"Macha's interaction with his players has seemed to cool since he was the club's bench coach under Howe, but several players said that is not uncommon. That said, some questioned his communication skills and whether he had as much control over the club as necessary."

It's Macha's job to give up from the sounds of it. I wouldn't blame Beane, because Macha has always been a yes man, Beane's personal goon...until he gets criticized for "his moves." Just like Howe. This team doesn't need a managerial change, it's a change in attitude. I was beyond embarrassment as an A's fan when Beane publicly criticized Fullerton State's head coach for allowing Jason Windsor(A's 2004 draft pick) to toss something like 140 pitches in one game as well as additional relief appearances. Billy, they are trying to win a championship...something you have no concept of....by golly they won it. Zito at 114 pitches in your do or die game, you let him go and deal with it. Geez you've ran with Mulder all this time, another 10-15 pitches is not going to kill Zito.

OAKLAND - He will meet with general manager Billy Beane today, and for A's manager Ken Macha, it won't be the first time. Beane has kept it no secret that he tries to be involved as much as he can, and this season, it seemed Macha's door was closed more than ever after games.

So today, Beane and Macha will have another discussion. Question is, might it be the final one?

The A's scattered for the winter Sunday night after a 3-2 win over the Anaheim Angels at Network Associates Coliseum that closed the season. The A's lost 17 of their final 27 games and their two-year stranglehold on the American League West in the process. In the end, they finished with 91 victories, their fifth straight season with at least that many, but it was one fewer than they needed.

As for Macha, his two-year victory total is 187, and players were adamant Sunday that they'd like to see him add to it. Macha has one season remaining on a three-year contract he signed to manage the A's on Oct. 29, 2002. But several team sources said Macha has grown weary of Beane's involvement, much as former manager Art Howe seemed to do near the end of his reign.

Howe was let out of his contract after the 2002 campaign. Ditto pitching coach Rick Peterson last season. So a similar move with Macha would not be unprecedented.

Asked point blank Sunday if he wants to manage the A's next season, Macha did not offer a yes or no response.

"We're going to be a good team next year," he said. "Like I've said several times, I've tried to focus on the process of this team, and the guys have given it everything they've got. You can't ask them to do any more, so from that standpoint, it's satisfying."

The other factor in this equation, of course, is whether there is any fallout -- and if so, how severe -- from the A's first postseason-less campaign since 1999. The A's offseason always tends to be one of great turnover, and it's possible that could include the coaching staff this year. Third-base coach Ron Washington may be considered for managerial positions this winter, and it's possible pitching coach Curt Young will reap the blame for the subpar seasons endured by the Three Aces.

It appears, however, that Macha will have his job back if he wants it.

"He's done a great job," Beane said Saturday. "Just managing this team is difficult, because the expectations are different. We go into every season expecting a playoff spot or to be competing for one, and that in itself brings a certain pressure. But you look at everything that happened to us this season, and the fact that we were there until the final weekend, and the job he did is very impressive."

Indeed, Macha's second season brought with it far more headaches than his first. Macha made do without a true closer for the first 12 weeks of the season. He lost his best everyday player (Eric Chavez) for six weeks with a broken hand and one of his ace pitchers (Tim Hudson) for another six to a strained left hip. And his bullpen, even after the June 24 acquisition of Octavio Dotel, never was reliable.

Yet, the A's still spent more days in first place (88) than they had since 1992.

"You can only do so much with what you've got," Chavez said. "Sometimes, it might look like he's making questionable calls, but ... he had to juggle a lot of things. He did everything he could."

Macha's interaction with his players has seemed to cool since he was the club's bench coach under Howe, but several players said that is not uncommon. That said, some questioned his communication skills and whether he had as much control over the club as necessary.

A manager "needs to command a certain amount of respect, and he does," first baseman Scott Hatteberg said. "But having said that, I don't care who ran this team. It's sort of self-governing in that we all want to win, and we're all highly motivated guys. He certainly wasn't a problem getting in the way of that."